Halide Mark III Adds Full Aperture Control for iPhone 18 Pro

Halide Mark III Update Adds New Looks and Aperture Support

Lux Optics’ anti-algorithm Halide camera app for the iPhone and iPad has received a new update. It adds two new photography looks and support for the variable aperture on the new iPhone 18 Pro’s main camera. Halide is an alternative to the native iOS camera app, and Lux Optics describes it as an “anti-algorithm” camera app, meaning it is built to put photographic control in the hands of the person taking the picture rather than leaning on automated processing to decide how a shot should look.

Halide isn’t the first alternative to the native iOS camera app to add support for the new feature, but it offers more finite control over aperture settings than other third-party apps. Aperture refers to the opening in a camera lens that lets light reach the sensor, and it is expressed in f-stops. The iOS camera app limits aperture adjustments to just four presets, while the BlackMagic Camera and Moment Pro Camera II apps expand that to 10 presets in 1/3 stop increments, similar to what most digital cameras offer.

Halide Mark III goes even further by letting you select any f-stop setting from f/1.48 down to f/4.0. Although it’s hard to imagine you’ll see any noticeable difference between f/4.0 and f/3.99, the option is available. In practice, that means Halide does not force you to choose from a short list of preset apertures the way the native iOS camera app does. Instead, you can dial in the exact value you want across the supported range, which gives you finer control over how much light the camera takes in and how the resulting image looks.

How Halide's Aperture Control Compares to Other Apps

Halide isn't the first alternative to the native iOS camera app to add support for the iPhone 18 Pro's variable aperture, but it offers more finite control over aperture settings than other third-party apps. To understand the comparison, it helps to know what each app offers. Apple's own iOS camera app limits aperture adjustments to just four presets, so anyone using the built-in camera has only a handful of choices. Both the BlackMagic Camera and Moment Pro Camera II apps expand that to 10 presets in 1/3 stop increments, similar to what most digital cameras offer.

Halide Mark III goes even further by letting you select any f-stop setting from f/1.48 down to f/4.0. As the source notes, although it's hard to imagine you'll see any noticeable difference between f/4.0 and f/3.99, the option is available. That range covers the widest supported opening on the iPhone 18 Pro’s main camera at f/1.48 through to f/4.0, and everything in between is selectable rather than rounded to a preset.

Finite Control and Future Plans

Halide Mark III offers more finite control over aperture settings than other third-party apps. While the native iOS camera app limits aperture adjustments to just four presets, and apps like BlackMagic Camera and Moment Pro Camera II expand that to 10 presets in 1/3 stop increments, Halide goes even further by letting you select any f-stop setting from f/1.48 down to f/4.0.

Although it’s hard to imagine you’ll see any noticeable difference between f/4.0 and f/3.99, the option is available. The Halide developers are also considering adding f-stop presets in future updates based on user feedback, so this level of control may become even more convenient down the road. In other words, if you find yourself returning to the same aperture values again and again, the developers may eventually make those values quicker to reach.

About the App and Author

Halide is made by Lux Optics, and the app is described as an anti-algorithm camera app for the iPhone and iPad. The latest update to Halide Mark III adds two new photography looks along with support for the variable aperture on the new iPhone 18 Pro’s main camera. The two new photography looks join the app’s existing set of image styles, while the aperture support applies specifically to the variable aperture hardware on the iPhone 18 Pro’s main camera.

This article was written by Andrew Liszewski, a senior reporter who’s been covering and reviewing the latest gadgets and tech since 2006, but has loved all things electronic since he was a kid.